Every year the Rocky Mountain Conference hosts a bible conference at Glacier View Ranch that Campion Academy, Mile High Academy, and several other schools regularly attend. During the vespers and worships, students played ice breaker games, discussed Bible texts, sang praise songs, listened to a speaker from Union College, and spent lots of time praying.

This year's conference lasted two days instead of an entire weekend, yet the time was packed full of spiritual emphasis. According to Campion student Madi Kamarad, "The weather was on point, as well as the spiritual atmosphere. It was awesome being able to hang out with other schools--Mile High Academy, Aurora Church, and Wyoming schools. Most of all it was a very rejuvenating experience to have to get away from school and focus on God."

The main theme of the conference was "Flawless." We are all flawless in God's sight was the lesson learned. The kids and adults all got to go on some amazing hikes, and as you can see from the picture, got an even more amazing view of God's creation. Another Campion student, Chantelle Bravatti, also had something good to say about the conference. "It was awesome being out in God's nature away from the busyness of the city. It was also awesome being able to experience God with all my friends." The weekend was a very cool, God-filled experience for the people that went.

Campion is very proud of our varsity teams for good playing and good sportsmanship at the Pepsi Center. This annual tradition between Mile High Academy and Campion Academy allows athletes the thrill of playing in an NBA stadium. See Gabrielle Williams' reflection on the day.Girls' game: CA 43, MHA 25Guys' game: MHA 52, CA 35MVP Award: Chantelle Bravatti

Campion's Chantelle Bravatti and Mile High's Sitivi, both MVP recipients at the Pepsi Center games, waive at the packed stadium during the Nuggets game last Wednesday.

The winning academy teams hold the flag during the National Anthem before the Nuggets game.

A Tradition of Teamwork

by Gabrielle Williams As we exited I-25, it hit me, “Oh, my goodness. We’re playing at the Pepsi Center.” It’s been a tradition for countless years. The varsity teams of Campion Academy and Mile High Academy come together to play basketball. But the game isn't played at Campion’s or Mile High’s gyms. It is played on the Denver Nuggets’ court; the same court that legends play on. The same court that Michael Jordan played on. The same court that Stephen Curry would play on later that night.The excitement showed on each player’s face. It didn't matter if it was a player’s first time or fourth time, playing on the Nugget’s court is a big deal. It was only my first time. As we headed into the huge locker room, fear began to grip me. The thoughts were racing at 100 miles an hour inside my head. What if coach doesn’t play me? What if he does play me? What if I mess up? What if I get hurt? What if I’m not good enough?.... But then I looked around the room, I saw that it was full of amazing, talented athletes who were my teammates. The one thing that I knew for sure was that they had my back. Something I learned from my coach is that being on a varsity team is a privilege and it's about representing yourself and your team as Christ followers. In Joshua 1:9 it says, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." Not only were all my teammates there for me, but God was there to help me do my best, all for His glory. As we headed out onto the court, I felt a strange sense of peace. I wasn't afraid anymore because I knew that all my teammates, my coach, and God all wanted to see me succeed. When we stepped out onto the court, it was surreal. We played hard and worked as a team, all for God’s glory. If I've learned one thing from basketball, it’s that it’s much more than just getting a ball into a basket. It goes way deeper than mastering the fundamentals of dribbling or perfecting your shot. It has taught me about teamwork and that when you give God the glory, He promises to give you courage and help you to do your very best.

Project-based learning, which often raises the stakes for students by incorporating outside audiences in their assessment, aims to challenge students with problem solving and collaborative work. In geography class, Nathaniel Marin's students feel the pressure at the end of the semester as they finish a model of a major landmark, prepare a 4-course meal for the judges, make a video, and create a map of their chosen country. Then, geography students field questions about their country as judges and visitors tour their work in an exhibition during the last week of the semester.

Senior Madi Uhrik and her team chose Turkey and created a model of the Hagia Sophia. She found the exhibition stressful but learned a lot about teamwork and planning throughout the semester. “Having judges come encouraged me to strive higher in order to impress people I didn’t know. You imagine they have higher expectations of you. They don’t know about all the hard work it took to get that final project done, they only see the project itself,” she said.

This is the 4th year Marin has invited judges to help assess the students' work at the end of the semester. He agrees that the learning environment provided by project-based learning is preparing our students for the 21st century workplace. Reflecting on the switch to group collaboration and authentic audiences, he said, “The improvement in quality and learning has been amazing.”

The final exhibition also allows students to celebrate their efforts. “It’s good for them to be able to show off their hard work, and it’s good practice for them to be asked tough questions by an older, more experienced person,” said Erin Johnson, a judge at the exhibition.

Second semester geography class will be giving presentations in May.

This senior geography team proudly stands behind their model of the BMW plant in Munich, Germany.

These seniors dish up their homemade Turkish delight, ready to take to the judges as part of their 4-course meal.